Serving His Master
by Paceso
Summary: Dobby discovers Lucius Malfoy's plot to get Tom Riddle's diary into Hogwarts, and faces an agonising dilemma. An entry for the International Wizarding School Competition, season 2 round 2.


IWSC2 round 2

Beauxbatons 2nd year

Theme: Department of Magical Law Enforcement/crime and justice

Prompts: [character] Dobby (main), [behaviour] sneaky, [quote] "If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."

WC: 1585

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Author's Note:

According to Dumbledore in HBP ch.23, Lucius Malfoy could have had no idea that Riddle's diary was a horcrux, his reasoning being that Lucius would have taken much more care of the diary had he realised it contained a soul-piece of Voldemort. However, Lucius did know _something_ of its power, for Dumbledore tells Harry, "I understand that Voldemort had told him the diary would cause the Chamber of Secrets to reopen, because it was cleverly enchanted." (It's reasonable to assume that that information came to Dumbledore from Snape, who was still a Death-Eater at the time the diary was given to Lucius, but had long since switched allegiance and given Dumbledore all the information he knew.)

Therefore, when Dobby tells Harry in CoS ch.2 that "there is a plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts", and in CoS ch.10 that he "cannot let Harry Potter stay here now that history is to repeat itself, now that the Chamber of Secrets is open once more", it follows that these facts must have been discussed by Lucius in Dobby's hearing. And although in ch.2 Dobby told Harry that the plot was not to do with He Who Must Not Be Named, in ch.18 he explained, "Dobby was giving you a clue. The Dark Lord, before he changed his name, could be freely named."

From these statements, it's possible to deduce that the disclosure of the plot centred around discussion of Riddle's diary and a plan to reopen the Chamber of Secrets. Additionally, Dobby's gestures to Harry in CoS ch.18, signalling that it was Lucius who had given the diary to Ginny, make it clear that Lucius expected the diary to take a significant part in discrediting Ginny, and through her, Arthur. Both these plots are, of course, criminal conspiracies in the wizarding world, but Lucius could never have imagined that justice would be served by his own downtrodden house-elf.

(Based on chapters 2, 4, 10 and 18 of CoS, and ch.23 of HBP.)

* * *

**Serving His Master**

"Dobby!" called Lucius Malfoy sharply.

There was a _Crack!_ and his most capable house-elf materialised in front of him and bowed low.

"Dobby is here, Master. What does Master desire?" he squeaked.

"Bring us some more wine," Malfoy ordered, "and then clear the mess over on the table."

Dobby bowed again, and Disapparated to the wine cellar with another _Crack!_

Corban Yaxley stretched luxuriously in his chair on the other side of the fireplace. "You know, Lucius, I really envy you that elf. He's extremely well-trained."

Lucius nodded indifferently. "Mm. He comes from very good stock, in the main, although one of his aunts was quite rebellious. I had to give her clothes, in the end."

"The female ones always seem to cause more trouble, I find," observed Yaxley. "In my opinion, it's far better to use them just as breeders. Keep them to quarters, train the young ones from babyhood, and sell the extras. There'll always be a market for second-rate elves."

Dobby, who had re-entered the room in time to hear this statement, made no reaction as Lucius agreed with Yaxley and took a sip from his refilled wine glass.

"By the way, Corban, I was hoping you'd be able to give me some information."

"Of course, Lucius, anything I can. What's the trouble?"

"It's this new Muggle Protection Act that Weasley is pushing. Do you know when it's due to commence?"

"Fairly soon, I believe. Magical Law Enforcement are already planning raids on various places. You should be safe for a while longer, though, if that's what's bothering you – I've done my best to ensure that old friends are last on the list to be raided."

"That's good to hear. I've got quite a few things I might need to find new places for before a raid should occur. I'm planning a visit to Borgin and Burkes soon, but I'll need to spread it out a bit. He won't take everything at once."

"You always did have a wonderful array of Dark objects, Lucius. It must be quite a challenge to decide what to do with all of them."

"It certainly has been," admitted his friend. "However, I've come up with a particularly good plan for one item."

"Oh, really? Tell me more."

Lucius reached across to the small shelf beside the fireplace and took out a slim book. He handed it to Yaxley with a slight smile. Yaxley opened it and looked puzzled.

"It's a blank diary."

"It is, but look at the name on the front."

"Tom Riddle." For a moment, Yaxley was still baffled, but then his face cleared. "Wait a moment – wasn't that the Dark Lord's real name?"

"Quite right, it was."

"I'm guessing it's something more than a blank diary, then?"

"Very much so. The Dark Lord himself assured me that it was cleverly enchanted to open the Chamber of Secrets."

"What, even without an Heir of Slytherin?"

"Precisely. And I'm aiming to plant it on one of Weasley's children, if I can," said Lucius, with a malicious grin. "That will not only get an incriminating object out of my house, but should give Weasley something to think about other than his ridiculous Muggle Protection Act. In fact, if all goes as I'm hoping, I'll get it into the hands of the Weasley boy in Draco's year – the one who's so friendly with Potter – and he'll open the Chamber and release the monster, which will kill the Mudblood Granger girl, as well as Potter himself, if we're lucky. The Weasley boy will be expelled, and Weasley will be sacked from the Ministry in absolute ignominy."

Yaxley gasped in startled admiration.

"Good lord, Lucius, that's brilliant! Talk about killing several birds with one stone!"

Behind the two men, Dobby had stopped in his task of cleaning the table and was staring at his master with bulging eyes. At that moment, Lucius rose from his chair to poke the fire and saw Dobby's fixed gaze.

"What are you staring at, elf?" he demanded angrily, and strode over and boxed the elf's ears. "Get on with your work."

The force of the blow lifted Dobby off his feet, and he fell across the tea trolley amid a clatter of dishes and crashing of china. He picked himself up, gave his master one wide-eyed look, and then pushed the disordered tea trolley out of the room.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Lying in his tiny chamber that night, Dobby groaned in anguish. Ever since he had overheard his master's plan that afternoon, his thoughts had been in turmoil. He hadn't understood all of Lucius's explanation to Yaxley, but one thing stood out in his mind: _Harry Potter would be in danger if he went back to Hogwarts!_

Although the Malfoys' treatment of house-elves had changed little, if any, after the fall of the Dark Lord eleven years earlier, Dobby knew that for many of his kind, their circumstances had changed dramatically. Other house-elves spoke of Harry Potter as a great wizard who, by his survival, had shone a beacon of hope in the dark days and changed their lives for the better. Yet only he, Dobby, knew that their saviour was in grave peril. What should he do? Did he dare – ?

He jumped to the wall and began beating his head against it, shouting to himself, "_Bad_ Dobby! _Bad_ Dobby!"

He had had to punish himself like this at intervals all through the evening, and his head ached unmercifully. His hands ached too, for he had ironed them when the daring thought had come to him while he was ironing the snowy table linen. He pressed his hot cheek to the cool flagstones of his chamber and tried to forget his smarting fingers.

Weariness overcame him, and he drifted into an uneasy sleep. He dreamed of a kinder world, where house-elves were treated with respect and consideration, and given clothes by their masters and mistresses as a mark of concern, rather than of shame and humiliation. He dreamed of Albus Dumbledore, powerful yet kind, and saw in his slumberous imaginings the Hogwarts elves beckoning to him. He saw their snowy-white garments and their contented faces. Then the picture dissolved, and re-formed into Harry Potter, whose photograph as a black-haired baby with a lightning-bolt scar had been seen everywhere in those thrilling days immediately after the fall of the Dark Lord, when former followers of the Dark wizard were doing their best to pretend they were kind and good, even to house-elves. Harry was almost twelve now, and Dobby's dreaming mind imagined him grown into a merry, laughing boy, wearing Hogwarts robes…

…But then Lucius, stern and forbidding, entered the elf's dreams. The happy pictures vanished, and Dobby's unconscious mind remembered the long years of harsh treatment, of many punishments by his master and still more punishments which he had imposed upon himself. He cried out in his sleep as the pain in his hands stirred dream-memories of other pains. His dream drifted back to his childhood, and his sleeping mind recalled his parents being punished, too. His aunt entered his dream, and he heard her saying, "Good masters don't treat elves like this," and then his mind watched as she punished herself for her rebellion. He saw again her final disgrace, and heard in his sleep the horrified dismay of the other house-elves. He hadn't fully understood at the time, but now his dreaming adult self realised the dishonour she had suffered…

He awoke with a start. His hands still smarted and his head still ached, and the throbbing pain pervaded his thoughts. He knew he should be a good elf and stop these wicked impulses. Then he could stop punishing himself so severely, and the pain would ease. But no sooner did he think it than he inclined to the opposite path. He would…he would go to Harry Potter and implore him not to return to Hogwarts. Immediately the treacherous thought crystallised in his mind, he clenched his fist and punched himself.

"_Bad_ Dobby!" he shouted. "_Very _bad Dobby! Dobby must _not_ do this!"

Here he was, planning to leave his master's house without permission, go to the home of someone his master viewed as an enemy, and give that person information which would foil his master's plans. It was unthinkable! Never before had he imagined such insubordination, nor heard of any other elf who had done so. Yet the alternative was equally unthinkable.

"But Dobby _must_ do this!" he wailed in agonised indecision. "Harry Potter will be in danger. Harry Potter _must not_ go back. Dobby must tell him."

For well he knew that people such as his master were only restrained by the nagging trepidation that Harry Potter was, indeed, a powerful wizard – perhaps even more powerful than Albus Dumbledore – who would eventually call them to account for their misdeeds. Without that curb on their actions, house-elves such as himself would be condemned to aeons of inescapable brutality.

His thoughts cleared suddenly, and he knew what he must do. He must forestall his master's crime and seek to enhance justice in the wizarding world. He would serve justice on his master for his callous treatment of house-elves, instead of serving him. Dobby shuddered at the thought of how many punishments he would have to give himself, and how severe they would have to be to atone for such extreme defiance, but Harry Potter must be saved, no matter what the cost.

He wailed in torment and beat his head on the flagstones.


End file.
